Transportation chair



Dec. 26, 1961 s. s. GOLDEN ETAL 3,014,686

TRANSPORTATION CHAIR Filed April 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig SHAH-0P0 5. GOLDEN NICK 6. Smsnvos BY THE/R ATTORNEYS. Heme/s, KmcH, Fosrze & HARRIS 36 I 331? H l N vs /V T0126.

Dec. 1961 s. s. GOLDEN ETAL 3,014,686

TRANSPORTATION CHAIR Filed April 11, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 84 (SW54 3 32 6O w, j

/N vim/Totes;

$H'NFO/PD 5. GOLDEN NICK G. Srnsnvos BY THE/E ATTORNEYS. HAAR/S, KnscH, FOSTER 9: HARE/6 3,014,686 ..1?3L*eetsd Desi .26, .19

The present invention relates in general to chairs, and, :more particu1arly','to a chair which includes'a seat pivotable throughout a range of position's in the fore and aft .vd i g v H The chair of the present .invention'is particularly well suited for transportatibns'eating and may be installed in such vehicles as airplanes, trains, buses, automobiles and the like.' "Howev er, it is not limited to such uses and may be employedwhere'ver a seat adjustable in the fore and aft'di'rection -through' a'iange of positions is indicated.

'Although not'limited'ther'eto, the present invention prefera'hly utiii'ziesa contour seat constructed in accordance with the eo p'endin'g' application of Sahford S. Golden, one of the applicants herein,'Serial No.'592,652, 'filed June 26, 1956, reference to'which' is hereby made for a complete disclosure, However, the present invention maybe utilized in connectionwith'seatshaving other configurations "'A'primary object of thednventi'on' is to provide an adjustable chair of the foregoing character having an improvedmeansfor'releasably locking the se'atin e s er its positions which is simple and compact and highly efiective for itsintended purpose.

More particularlyythe' present invention contemplates a ch'air'which includesa-base;'a transverse, horizontal shaft 'rot'a'tablymounted on the base,- and 'a'seat'carried b'y'and fixed on the shaft and pivotable in the fore' and-aft direction'through the desired range of positions, an'object of the "invention being to provide a chair ofthis'construction. -While the'transverse'; horizontal shaft on which the'seat is mounted-'rnay =bea single shaftextended across the seat, it may also include-two stub shaitsconnecteddo opposite sides of the'seat in axial alignment. Consequently, whenever this'seat-carrying shaft is referred to herein, it will beunderstood that it may either be-a single shaft, or-two stub shafts in axial alignment. An important object of'the invention is to provide spring detent-means for releasably retaining theseat in each of its positions-and to provide such a-spring detent means which includes-interengagcable detent elements on the shaft andthe base.-

. Another object is to provide such a spring detent means which .-includes two arms" respectively extendingtransersely from thc-shaftdn opposite direct-ions,.detent.elements-on thenarms, respectively, and cor-rugated,.=leaf spring detcnt elementscarried .hy the base and engageable by. the detest-elements on the arms, respectively, the .corr-ugations in each of the ,leaf spring detent elen entsformingrecesses respectively corresponding tothe positionsof the iseatiandeachadapted to receive .thedetent element on the corresponding arm. Another object is to provide a Chair havinge base .Which ludes. sun-sh p d dr m co x l-,ewithit e sh ft a which t e-semi unt dfln h v ng-aunties end e w d Q t hs mh ft tprpie t nsin t e drum through the open end thereof and h eing mounted in a hearing carried by the closed endoflthe ,drurn. A related object is to meant the leaf spr ng detent elements mentioned 'en'the drum interiorly thereof, the drum thus enclosing the leaf spring detenfelernentsfthe' transverse arms on the shaft, and the detent elements carriedhy the arms and engngeabie with the leaf s'pri'ngdetent elements. Thus, such drum completely encloses the spring detent means mentioned, Which'is air-importantfeature. J

J2 A swe .obie t o i nic z i a is to Pro d Met-ins m a wi hinme s r mil s n t sssat n c s o it positions, including interengageabl locking elements on Mo e Psrt hfliza .sbie t pithi i vention me evide a loclging mernber which is movahle .agtial ly pif the shaft een s sr ti ve an PP ra r-e vi1 t t s and v nsths s P i 9 9.l$ dem ri s s tir ly. PI- responding to the positions of the: seat, theloclgingelemcnts of jeachjpair heinglinsertabld intoiopenings in the arms on .the shaft, respectiyelygwhen the locking member is in its operative position. When the locking memheris in its inoperative position, all of the iocliingelenjents thereon are disengaged from arm; on the shaft to permit pivoting of the semi; the fore' and aft direction from one of its positions to the other. 7 I The locking member, while movable axially of the shaft is prevented from rotating therewith h'y' keying it to .the'drurn. h Y Another object' of the "invention is to provide Springs connecting the arms on the shafttoth dfurn for biasing the seat toward a' posit'ionz't t one end of its' range of'pos i dons I. i is r I 'Another' ob'jec't'is'to'provide'coiinterhalance springs re 'spectively;'corinectedito the seat "on; opposite sides of' its pivotaxisahd 'ccinnec'tgdto 'tlie'hase' for biasing the seat toward the aforementioned aim-st rs range of positions. The foregoing object's,"advantageilfeatures and r'esult's of the present invention, together wi-th'various'ot her objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will he apparentfto those ski lldi'ri' ii" art in the light of this disclosure, may he attained with h'e'eXem-pla'ry ensem- Im'ent' of "the present 'invntiori which is described in detail hereinafter and illustrated'iri the' aecfrnpanying drawings, 'wh'er'einz' FIG. 1 i's'a side"elevationaifviewbf th 'chair n-f the triventi'on, showing the "seat thereoffin'l' different positions; FIG. 2 isase'ctiohzi'l view 'talienalong the tirr'o'wed line j. '4 FIG. 3 'isan'eniarged; fragmentary sectional view taken along the arrowed line'33 of FIG. 1;

' FIG. 4 is an" enlarged, fragmentary sectionalview taken along the'arrowed' line 44 of FIG; 2;

FIGS is a View similar to F-IGAQbut showing various components in ditfe'rentpositions; and" FIG. 6 is a sectional v'ewta'ken along the arrowed'line '6'( st F1054.

Referring partieularly'to' FIGS; T'a n'd 26f the drawings, the chair of the invention is designated generally by the nunieralfifiandincludfs'a Base 12"oh'which is'frnount- "ed asea't' 14. Variousstructfurs' mafbe'mployed for the base 12 and the seati t, theb ase"ebrhpiisinga fra gw'o'rk of'tubi'ri'g in the particular ojnstrucition illustrated. -Theseat 14conforn1s'to't'hes0 lled transportation seat disclosed in the aforementioned co-pendiilgapplicatiori in the particular construction"illustrzited, andincludes an intermediate c'oncaye section 16 for 'siupporting'l the hips andportio'ns'of the hack-and'l'gjs' 'thereadjaccnt, a first substantially linear, terminal se'c'tion" 1 8' for' supporting the upper portions of the jlj'a'cl ndf'tlie'fsh'oulde'rs and tangentto' the'coricave section an intermediate, convex section 2$ for supporting the legs in thef reg'i'qn of the knees and'tangent to thel'co cave 'section '16, and a second substantially; linear, ,ite rmnal section 22: for sups' ins' e lei/er ertem i s sl Lt ei' se qlian n t0 t O se t-i9 1 .2 .A. ,1a. e ult; w ch as/the remo ble, an a ot es .25 are-loca d at; the. upp end of the hpper linear section ,18.i'-nd at; the lowergend 0i thelower linear section .22, respectively,- so as to supportthe head-jandfeet, respectively. Heweven'it will be understood than .within: the scope ofthe .presentinven tion,- other con'fig-ur-at-ions for the;seat-14-may be-utiiized= The seat 14 is carried by and suitably fixed on a horizontal, transverse shaft 30 which is rotatably mounted on the base 12, it being understood that the shaft 30 may comprise two axially aligned, stub shafts respectively connected to the seat 14 on opposite sides thereof as hereinbefore pointed out. The seat 14 is movable in the fore and aft direction about the axis of the shaft 30 through a range of positions which includes the generally upright position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 of the drawings and designated by the numeral 14, the intermediate position shown in broken lines and designated by the numeral 14', and a reclining position also shown in broken lines and designated by the numeral 14". As will be understood, which of the positions shown for the seat 14 is selected depends on the preference of the person occupying it.

At the ends of the shaft 30 are detenting units 32 each of which includes a spring detent means 34 and one of which includes a locking means 36. In the drawings, each of the units 32 is shown as provided with such a locking means for convenience of illustration, but, in actual practice, only one of the units would be provided with a locking means.

Considering one of the detenting units 32, it includes a cup-shaped drum 38 which forms part of the base 12, i.e., which is secured to the framework constituting the base 12. The drum 38 is coaxial with the shaft 30 and the open end thereof faces inwardly. The corresponding end of the shaft 30 extends into the drum 38 through the open end thereof and is mounted in a bearing 40 inserted into a hub or boss 42 on the closed end of the drum.

Fixed on the shaft 30 within the drum 38, as by being keyed thereto, is a transverse crank 44 providing oppositely extending arms 46. Connected to the arms 46 are tension springs 48 which are anchored to the peripheral wall of the drum 38 and which act through the shaft 30 to bias the seat 14 toward its upright position. Referring to FIG. 1, counterbalance springs 50 and 52 also act to bias the seat 14 toward its upright position, the spring 50 being a tension spring connected to the seat 14 on one side of the axis of the shaft 30 and anchored to the base 12. The spring 52 is a compression spring which is connected to the seat 14 on the opposite side of the axis of the shaft and which is connected to the base 12, the compression spring 52 being shown schematically. The forces produced by the springs 48, 50 and 52 are such that the seat 14 is substantially balanced in its upright position, but is biased toward its upright position from its intermediate position 14 and its reclining position 14".

At the ends of the arms 46 are detent elements, such as rollers 54, respectively engaging leaf-spring detent elements 56 mounted on the peripheral-wall of the drum 38. The detent elements 56 are corrugated to provide recesses 58, 58' and 58" respectively corresponding to the positions, 14, 14' and 14" of the seat. The leafspring detent elements 56 are self biasing into engagement with the rollers 54, respectively, and merely serve to indicate to a person occupying the seat 14 that the seat is in one of its three positions, the rollers 54 being readily displaceable from one of the recesses 58, 58 and 58" to the other by forward or rearward shifting of the Weight of the occupant of the seat 14.

In order to positively lock the seat 14 in one of its positions, the hereinbefore-mentioned locking means 36 is incorporated in one of the units 32 although, as previously pointed out, both of these units are shown as provided with the locking means 36 for convenience of illustration. The locking means 36 includes a plate or disk 60 having a hub 62 which is axially slidable on the shaft 30. The disk 60 is prevented from rotating about the axis of the shaft by a pin 64 connected thereto and extending through an opening 66 in the closed end of the drum 38. In order to prevent withdrawal of the pin 64 from the opening 66, the pin is provided with a head 68 externally of the drum. A compression spring 70 encircles the pin 64 and is seated at one end against the disk 60 and at its other end against the closed end of the drum 38 to bias the disk 60 toward an operative position thereof. While the rotation preventing means for the disk 60 is shown as including one pin 64, it will be understood that two or more such pins circumferentially spaced apart may be utilized.

The disk 60 is adapted to be moved from its operative position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 3, to its inoperative position, shown in broken lines in FIG. 3, in opposition to the action of the spring 70 by means of a button 72 having a stem 74 connected to the disk 60, as by being threaded on an extension 76 of the pin 64. The button 72 is accessible to the occupant of the seat 14 through an opening 78 in a panel 80 which forms the inner wall of an arm 82 of the base 12.

The disk 60 carries a pair of pins 84, a pair of pins 84' and a pair of pins 84", the pins of each pair being insertable into openings 86, respectively, in the arms 46, respectively, and serving as locking elements to lock the seat 14 in one of its positions. The pins 84, when inserted into the openings 86, fix the seat in its upright position 14. Similarly, the pins 84 and 84", when inserted into the openings 86, fix the seat in its intermediate and reclining positions 14 and 14", respectively.

Considering the operation of the invention, the locking means 36 incorporated in one of the detenting units 32 normally locks the seat in one of its positions 14, 14' and 14". As previously explained, when the seat is in its upright position 14, it is substantially balanced, being biased toward this position from the intermediate and reclining positions 14 and 14". In order to move the seat from one of its positions to another, it is necessary to push inwardly on the button 72 to release the locking means 36, this locking means automatically returning to its operative position upon releasing of the button.

In view of the manner in which the seat 14 is balanced, the seat 14 may be moved from its upright position to its position 14, or from-the position 14 to the position 14", by first pressing inwardly on the button 72 and then leaning backward slightly, or by then pressing gently on the arms 82 of the chair 10. The detent rollers 54 move from the recesses 58 to the recesses 58, or from the recesses 58 to the recesses 58", as the foregoing is done, arrival of the detent rollers at the recesses 58', or at the recesses 58", designating to the occupant of the seat 14 that it has arrived at its position 14', or its position 14". Thus, a positive indication of the position of the seat is provided. After the seat has been shifted into the desired position, the button 72 is released, whereupon the spring 70 returns the disk 60' to its operative position so as to insert the corresponding pair of pins 84' or 84" into the openings 86 in the arms 46 to lock the seat in position.

In order to move the seat forwardly from its position 14" to its position 14', or from its position 14" to its position 14, it is merely necessary to depress the button 72 and to lean forward slightly, the spring biasing of the seat toward its upright position being sufficient to produce movement of the seat to such position when the occupant leans forward slightly as stated.

Thus, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a very simple, compact and effective detenting and locking arrangement for the seat 14 which is concealed entirely within the drums 38 of the units 32. Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims which follow.

We claim:

1. In a chair, the combination of: a base; a transverse,

horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said base; a seat carried by and fixed on said shaft and pivotable in a fore and aft direction through a range of seating positions; and spring detent means for releasably retaining said seat in each of said positions, including an arm extending transversely from said shaft, a detent element on said arm, and a corrugated, leaf spring detent element carried by said base and engageable by said detent element on said arm, the corrugations in said leaf spring detent element forming recesses respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat and adapted to receive said detent element on said arm therein.

2. In a chair, the combination of: a base; a transverse, horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said base; a seat carried by and fixed on saidshaft and pivotable in a fore and aft direction through a range of seating positions; spring detent means for releasably retaining said seat in each of said positions, including an arm extending transversely from said shaft, a detent element on said arm, and a corrugated, leaf spring detent element carried by said base and engageable by said detent element on said arm, the corrugations in said leaf spring detent element forming recesses respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat and adapted to receive said detent element on said arm therein; and locking means for locking said seat in each of said positions, including interengageable locking elements carried by said shaft and said base.

3. In a chair, the combination of: a base; a transverse, horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said base; a seat carried by and fixed on said shaft and pivotable in a fore and aft direction through a range of seating positions; spring detent means for releasably retaining said seat in each of said positions and spaced from said seat, including an arm extending transversely from said shaft, a detent element on said arm, a corrugated, leaf spring detent element carried by said base and engageable by said detent element on said arm, the corrugations in said leaf spring detent element forming recesses respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat and adapted to receive said detent element on said arm therein; and locking means for locking said seat in each of said positions, including a locking member movable axially of said shaft between operative and inoperative positions and having thereon locking elements respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat and engageable with said arm when said locking member is in said operative position.

4. In a chair, the combination of: a base; a transverse, horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said base; a seat carried by and fixed on said shaft and pivotable in a fore and aft direction through a range of seating positions; two arms respectively extending transversely from said shaft in opposite directions; detent elements at the ends of said arms, respectively; corrugated, leaf spring detent elements carried by said base andrespectively engageable by said detent elements on said arms, the corrugations in each of said leaf spring detent elements forming recesses therein respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat and adapted to receive said detent element on the corre sponding one of said arms therein; a locking member movable axially of said shaft and having thereon pairs of locking elements respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat, said arms respectively having openings therein respectively adapted to receive the locking elements of each pair therein; and means for moving said locking member axially of said shaft between an operative position wherein said locking elements of one of said pairs are inserted in said openings in said arms and an inoperative position wherein all of said locking elements are withdrawn from said openings in said arms.

5. In a chair, the'combination of: a base; a transverse, horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said base; a seat carried by and fixed on said shaft and pivotable in a fore and aft direction through a range of seating positions; two arms respectively extending transversely of said shaft in opposite directions; detent elements at the ends of said arms, respectively; corrugated, leaf spring detent elements carried by said base and respectively engageable by said detent elements on said arms, the corrugations in each of said leaf spring detent elements forming recesses therein respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat and adapted to receive said detent element on the corresponding one of said arms therein; a locking member movable axially of said shaft and having thereon pairs of locking elements respectively corresponding to said positions of said seat, said arms respectively having openings therein respectively adapted to receive the locking elements of each pair therein; means for moving said locking member axially of said shaft between an operative position wherein said locking elements of one of said pairs are inserted in said openings in said arms and an inoperative position wherein all of said locking elements are withdrawn from said openings in said arms; and springs respectively connected to said arms and said base and biasing said seat toward one end of said range of positions.

6. In a chair, the combination of: a base including a stationary cup-shaped drum having a horizontal, transverse axis and having closed and open ends and an annular skirt, said open end of said drum facing inwardly of said base; a horizontal, transverse shaft coaxial with said drum and extending thereinto through said open end thereof, there being an annular space between said annular skirt and said shaft; a bearing for said shaft carried by said closed end of said drum; a seat carried by and rigidly connected to said shaft and pivotable with said shaft in a. fore and aft direction through a range of seating positions; and

means for retaining said seat in each of said positions, including interengageable elements on said shaft and said drum and spaced from said seat and disposed entirely within said annular space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

